When observed in the ultraviolet, Venus’ atmosphere is covered by dark Y-shaped structures whose origin and evolution has been a mystery since their discovery more than half a century ago. Now astronomers in Spain and Portugal have described the mechanism that sustains this phenomenon.

The waxing gibbous Moon passes close by the Solar System's largest planet, Jupiter, on the nights of March 2nd and 3rd. Jupiter was at opposition last month, but it's still big, bright and offers much to see in a telescope.

Celestron, a leading manufacturer of Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes, recently added the WiFi-enabled Evolution series to its computerised NexStar range. Targeted at intermediate-level users, we took the flagship Evolution 9.25 model through its paces and admired its futuristic vision of telescope control.